Treasure Every Moment

Has anyone in your life passed away? I am very fortunate in saying that no one I'm close to has left this world; however, there have been people that have taken their last breaths in my community. Only last school year, a boy in my grade perished due to brain trauma. And yesterday, we received the news that a senior at my new school passed away unexpectedly. I did not know the boy very well, and had never met the girl. Nonetheless, their deaths were devastating.

I will never have the opportunity to get to know either of them. I'll never know the boy's favorite color, or hear the girl play her violin. Neither of them will ever own their own house, tell stories to their grandchildren, or laugh again. As I sit here, alive, in the student lounge of Denver School of the Arts, I wonder if either of them had a first kiss. What their first words were. Did they play sports? And what were their dreams?

Maybe the girl used to love the aroma of lavender, and years from now, the friends and family she left behind will inhale that scent and smile, remembering her. Thinking about all of the good times and the bad. And the boy? I know that he was quite the artist. When his father moves, and is packing frayed cardboard boxes, will he come across one of his late son's drawings? Will he hang it on the fridge and smile? Or will tears in the shapes of memories rain down his face?

I'll never know.

They were taken too young, this boy and this girl. They had beautiful futures in front of them, lives lush with love, Chinese takeout, movie nights, volleyball games, and all of the little things that make this life worth living. Their deaths, and the tears of my math teacher as she told us the news of the girl yesterday, put things into perspective for me. The truth is, we never know what is going to happen. We never know what our last words will be, who the last person we hug will be, when our internal clocks will stop ticking. We never know.

It is for this reason that we must live our lives to their full capacity. We must live unapologetically, without fear, and with unwavering passion. Smile at everyone and everyone; you never know what monsters the kid you pass everyday in the hallway is facing. Don't sweat the small stuff - although it seems like failing an AP test is the end of the world in the moment, I can promise you that it won't matter in the long run. Tell your crush that you like them. You are never too young to love someone. Write down everything that you are grateful for, from the deep, booming bark of your golden retriever to the water in your bumper sticker-plastered water bottle. And above all, try to be aware. I know that this is easier said than done. We live in a society that puts so much emphasis on the intangible future, in working for the sake of tomorrow. But here is my challenge to you: be an iconoclast. Defy the conventional habit of only doing your homework so that you get an 'A,' of working for that grade only to be accepted into a good college, of going to college to be hired by a great company, of laboring away in an office from nine to five to support your family. Don't function for tomorrow. There is, as harsh as this may sound, no guarantee that you will open your eyes when the next sun next rises. Live for today, dear friends. Do your homework for the sake of knowledge, for the thrill of comprehending the marvelous world around you. Get the grade simply to know that if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it. Every step you take, every word you say, every inhalation and exhalation - engage in it with wonder. Nothing is more fantastic or real than what is happening right now. Be present.

Personally, I need to work on thinking before I speak. After a long day at school, I can be crabby when interacting with my family. That is not a valid excuse. They are my family. I love them. I have no way of knowing whether or not my mom will get in a car crash on the way home, if my dad will trip down the stairs, or if my sister will make it out of a school shooting. Life is not linear. Life isn't even a roller coaster ride, where you can see when the track will plummet or twist. Life is more like art: sporadic, undefined, and open to interpretation.

I will remember the boy and the girl, and I'd wager that you will never forget those who have left their fingerprints on your life. I'll never forget the victims of school shootings, firefighters who give their lives to rescue others, or the puzzle-loving woman in the Alzheimer's ward I volunteered at. And each day, I vow to do my best to appreciate everything I am fortunate enough to have. What will you do to truly live this incredible masterpiece of a life you've been gifted?

This one is for you, Yoav and Veronica; you will be missed.

Smile, everyone. Be grateful, be tolerant, and act with love. You are a miracle.
- Maya

Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash, Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash,
Photo by Qingbao Meng on Unsplash, Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash